Can we increase our creativity in thinking, solving problems and in daily life? Easily — and you can see the results today. To increase creativity, you need to do two things. First, encourage it. Second, train your brain. Start these two steps now, and you can experience increased creativity today.
Encouraging creativity
Encouraging creativity increases its level. This is true for most of the things you want to develop in your life. Encouragement can do wonders. However, the approach must be adapted to your interests and your daily life. But how can creativity be encouraged?
First, by paying attention to it. Your subconscious mind has a tendency to give you more of what you pay attention to. If you ignore the creative aspects of your life, you're signaling to your subconscious that they're not important. On the other hand, if you consciously notice your creative moments and look for opportunities to be creative, your subconscious will start to provide you with more creative ideas. Pay attention and you will find more.
Another way to encourage and increase creativity is to jot down your ideas. Keep an “idea journal.” If you do this on a regular basis, you will often find that you start to have more ideas as soon as you start writing. A trivial idea can usually be forgotten, but by writing it down, you can keep it, your subconscious mind is working on it, and it can turn into something very creative.
Case in point: instead of just writing down ideas, categorize them by category: personal, professional, artistic. This will help you see connections between different areas and generate new ideas.
You can also encourage greater creativity by putting your ideas into practice. If you're painting or writing, try new things. Even just taking a different path to work can help. The aim is to get your mind to work outside of its usual patterns.
Get inspired by other cultures or disciplines. For example, explore a creative activity you're not yet familiar with, such as molecular cooking or minimalist drawing. These experiences enrich your mental toolbox.
Changing your environment can also stimulate creativity. If you want more creativity in your love life, go hiking with your partner. If you're writing, try doing it on a rooftop. Do you need new ideas for your business? Grab a notebook and sit next to a pond. For maximum impact, try environments that stimulate all five senses, such as a busy market or botanical garden.
Creativity training
If you want to significantly increase your creativity, develop creative mental habits. Watch a good comedian, and you'll see that he trained his mind to look for a “different angle” on everyday things. You can train your mind to do the same.
Challenge assumptions until it becomes a habit. Are you looking for ways to attract more customers to your store? Ask yourself, “Do I really need more customers? ”. This question may suggest other creative solutions, such as finding ways to generate more revenue with existing customers, or reducing expenses. This can lead to more profitable ideas. Challenge assumptions to increase the creativity of your solutions.
Incorporate simple mind games into your routine. For example, take an everyday object and imagine at least three different uses for it. This will train your brain to see beyond traditional uses.
As you go to work, randomly pick an item around you and ask yourself how it might relate to a problem you're working on. A helicopter can inspire you with a method for tracking the movements of a car loaned to your children. A palm tree may suggest a new design for patio umbrellas.
These techniques, called “challenging assumptions” and “random presentation,” are two classic methods of creative problem solving. You can also explore modern tools like digital mind maps to structure and visualize your ideas. Train your brain to use them in a regular way, add a bit of encouragement, and you can actually increase your creativity.
